


Learning to Fly

by OrangeRaven989



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Blood and Injury, F/F, Feelings Realization, Healing, Injury Recovery, Pining, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Pre-Relationship, Rare Pairings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-14 06:08:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29787609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrangeRaven989/pseuds/OrangeRaven989
Summary: Annette's clumsiness while training to be a Dark Flier forces Marianne to become a hero.CW: Blood
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic/Marianne von Edmund
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	Learning to Fly

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, I hadn't written any Annette/Marianne yet? Guess it's time to fix that!
> 
> Marking this one as complete as it can stand alone, though I may come back and write more chapter(s) for this in the future.

Marianne always wanted to learn to fly. Even before the war, when she was a student at the Officer’s Academy, she had secretly harbored a desire to fly on a Pegasus. She loved horses, of course, and was happy throwing herself into the study of white magic to be a healer, but still. She would look to the sky and watch Ingrid and Leonie and Constance during their training, wishing she could join them.

It had never even occurred to her to ask the Professor back then to change her studies. But now that she was back and they were all training again, she decided to test out her newfound confidence and make the request. Byleth just shrugged.

“You’re an adult, Marianne,” he replied. “And you’re our best healer. If you want to try something new, just go for it.”

Her eyes widened. “R-really?”

“It’s not like you can’t just keep being a healer if it doesn’t work out,” he continued. “There’s no downside.” Then he tilted his head, as if he just remembered something. “It’s actually very convenient,” he added. “I just had someone else request flying lessons as well. You two can be partners.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Who?”

“Me!” came a voice from behind her. Marianne swirled around in time to get a faceful of Annette as she threw her arms around her. “You’re gonna start flying, too? Ooh, this is gonna be so much fun!”

“Um,” Marianne managed, but slowly returned the hug and felt her cheeks flush. Annette was… very close. Her heart started pumping.

“Oh, by the way, Professor,” Annette said, quickly letting go of Marianne, “Shamir sent me to tell you to go see in her in the war council room. I think she and Claude are working on something.”

The Professor nodded and rose from his seat, exchanged parting words with the two of them, and then headed out. Then it was just them, standing together in silence. Marianne’s ears rang. Annette turned to her with a huge smile.

“I’m so excited!” she said.

So they began their lessons.

It was awkward at first, of course. They were two totally different people. Friends from before the war, when Annette had transferred into the Golden Deer and they studied magic together with Lysithea. They’d become close. But their friendship also relied on Lysithea being there. When it was just the two of them, well… it got awkward. Because they were complete opposites. Annette was extroverted and bubbly and talkative and excitable, and Marianne was none of those things. But what made it worse was that Marianne felt flushed every time they were alone together. And she didn’t know why, until she did.

She’d never quite known how to understand her own feelings. But she finally began to realize that she liked girls, and as they continued their lessons she quickly realized that “girls” very much included Annette.

Hilda had stayed up late with her one night trying to weasel a name out of her. Talking about her feelings was a weird experience, especially since she didn’t know how to talk to people in general. But she always managed to get real honest with Hilda. Annette had always just been a face in the crowd, a girl who she’d known from their days at the Academy, who got along well with everyone, helped out a lot, and had an infectious smile. But it wasn’t until she spent a significant amount of time on the weekend alone with her that she realized there was something more there.

Hilda got the name out of her, eventually. She seemed happy about it, as if applauding her choice, but asked the inevitable follow up: why? What was it she liked so much about Annette?

And that was a question she couldn’t really answer. She didn’t know why. She just liked her. It wasn’t heart-stopping love or anything. Just… Annette was really cute. And sweet. And she went out of her way to make Marianne feel seen, like she wasn’t just part of the background. She appreciated that so much, even if she couldn’t always put that appreciation into words. For someone who often stayed quiet and only spoke when spoken to, having someone who would routinely ask how her day was going meant quite a lot.

And it was funny to watch Annette struggle to get a handle on riding a Pegasus. Annette, who’d been so brilliant in class, who mastered complex magic spells like they were nothing, could not ride a Pegasus to save her life. And there was something about that that was just so damn endearing.

But now that she was well aware of her feelings for Annette, the flying lessons became that much more awkward. Especially because Annette had no idea why Marianne was acting so flustered. But Annette being who she was, she took it all in stride and just smiled and laughed and encouraged her and told dumb jokes and tripped over her own feet. And Marianne felt the warmth in her heart radiating throughout her body. It was really something.

“I’m thinking of flying up to the roof today,” she said, cheeks full of the sandwich she’d brought with her for lunch. “I’ve always wanted to see the view from up there.”

Marianne cleared her throat.

Annette raised her eyebrows. “What?”

“Are… are you sure you want to try that?” she said, voice and eyes low. “Don’t you still have trouble holding on when it gets really fast?”

Annette choked on her bite of sandwich. “Rude,” she said after swallowing and coughing. “But hey, I’ll never get better if I don’t push myself, right?” She made puppydog eyes. “You’ll fly with me, won’t you? You seem like you’ve got it down.”

Marianne felt her cheeks burn. “Um… y-yes, of course,” she replied. Her pulse quickened. She thought about what Annette was suggesting—sitting behind her on the Pegasus, arms around her waist, holding on tight. Annette’s body pressed up against hers, her hair just under Marianne’s nose. Goddess, it was just too much. But… she wanted to. She wanted to be that close. And, she reminded herself, it would be for Annette’s benefit to have someone there to keep hold of her in case the ride got too bumpy.

Annette finished up her sandwich and they both climbed onto one of the Pegasi. Annette went up first, climbing with confidence and sitting up straight, feet barely reaching the stirrups. Then Marianne hopped on, gracefully, and took her place behind Annette. She scooted up as close as she dared, knowing she needed to get closer and trembling at the thought of actually doing it. But then Annette glanced back over her shoulder, smiling wide.

“Come on, hold on tight,” she chirped.

“O-okay,” Marianne squeaked, slowly reaching her arms around Annette’s waist and gingerly setting her hands just below her ribs.

“Tighter,” Annette insisted. “You don’t want to fall, do you?”

Marianne swallowed hard and squeezed just a little, pulling herself right up against Annette’s back and wrapping her arms around her torso. Her face ended up buried in Annette’s hair, and when she breathed in she could smell the scent of the soap Annette used to wash herself with. It was… lovely. She breathed in again and shivered.

Annette was warm. And soft. Even though she was wearing heavier clothes, Marianne could still feel the softness underneath. Annette was somewhat toned—she did train regularly with a heavy axe, after all—but she wasn’t anywhere near as built as some of the other girls like Leonie or Ingrid. She was soft enough to cuddle with, and when that thought entered her mind her face immediately went crimson. Oh, Goddess. Cuddling with Annette. Yes. Yes please. But she needed to banish those thoughts at the moment and focus on holding on.

When Annette was satisfied that they were both securely on board, she gently prodded the Pegasus and the two lifted off, the wind rushing as they jetted off the ground. She could hear the music of Annette’s laughter as they ascended, and she held a little tighter. The girl felt so good in her arms, like it was a perfect fit. Marianne wasn’t that much taller than her—only a few inches—but she still felt like she enveloped her in her embrace. That felt nice. Annette leaned back just a bit, her shoulder blades pressing into Marianne’s breasts, and Marianne couldn’t help a soft moan escaping her throat. Luckily, with the wind rushing at them, Annette couldn’t hear it.

Suddenly the Pegasus bucked, and the two of them were knocked back. “Whoa!” Annette yelled, flinging her head back. Her skull collided with Marianne’s jaw. “Oh!” she exclaimed. “I’m sorry!”

“It’s… it’s okay,” Marianne managed, her mouth hurting just a bit. “What made her do that?”

“Dunno,” Annette replied, glancing around as much as she could without moving too much. Then she tried leaning forward. “Maybe…”

Marianne tensed. “Hey, don’t squirm around so much, you’ll…”

But Annette leaned forward just enough that she slipped right out of Marianne’s grip. A yelp escaped her and she lurched forward. Marianne dove to catch her but she was just a little too slow. In an instant Annette had slipped off the saddle and fallen sideways, off the Pegasus. Marianne’s heart pounded, her eyes wide and a cry in her throat.

“Annette!” she screamed.

Annette’s body plummeted, right into the trees below them. The forest stretched out and they were flying just above the outskirts, where the trees were spaced farther apart. But they were thick enough to hopefully break her fall. Marianne shook her head and threw herself forward, grabbing the reins and directing the Pegasus downward as fast as she could go. But the crunch of tree branches echoed loud, even over Annette’s shout. Marianne winced and dove further until the Pegasus touched down, then she vaulted off and hurried into the brush.

Annette lay sprawled on the ground among a patch of bushes. Marianne glanced quickly upward, seeing the trees above, the spots where the branches caught her fall and broke along with her descent creating an opening through which she could see patches of blue sky. She scrambled to Annette’s side and gasped—her clothes were torn and a branch stuck out from her stomach. Her eyes were rolling back in her head, and there were numerous scrapes and cuts all up her arms. Another large cut sat over her eye. Her breathing was labored.

“Oh, Goddess,” Marianne cried. “Annette, can you hear me?”

The girl’s eyes slowly rolled in her direction, her breathing ragged, and she tried to gasp out words.

“Shh,” Marianne said. “It’s okay, don’t talk. I’m going to heal you.” She focused her energy into her hands, which shook uncontrollably. They glowed, and she placed them over Annette’s face. Marianne swallowed again, hard, struggling to maintain her focus and do what she needed to while worrying about Annette’s condition. The cuts were nothing to worry about. Her healing magic could close the wounds with little trouble. The branch in her gut would be painful, but as long as it didn’t hit anything vital she could close that wound as well. Overall it looked like there was little that could actually threaten Annette’s life. And that made her feel a lot better, but she didn’t stop to think too much about it.

The gash on Annette’s face closed immediately, leaving only a faint white line where seconds before it had been bleeding profusely. Marianne slowly moved her hand downward, towards Annette’s chest, closing up another, less severe wound by her shoulder. Annette’s breathing began to steady, eyes blinking and coming to, though a pained groan still escaped her throat.

“I know,” Marianne whispered. “I’ll get you fixed up soon. You’re going to be fine.” She pulled at the armor covering Annette’s chest—thankfully it seemed to prevent any damage around her heart or lungs, though there were still perforations in the chest area where red was beginning to seep through. Marianne hesitated but closed her eyes and spoke firmly. “I’m going to need to remove your clothes,” she said, voice strong at first but wavering at the last word. “I need to get to your skin to close up the wounds. Okay?”

Annette gave the weakest of nods. Marianne reached for the dagger sheathed at her leg and pulled it out. She wasn’t particularly proficient with blades, but she kept a dagger with her anyway just as a precaution. She thanked the Goddess she had it now, because otherwise she’d need to rip Annette’s clothes open and she didn’t have much confidence in her upper body strength to pull that off. So she very carefully slipped the blade under Annette’s top and slid downward to her hips, slicing the fabric and pulling it apart, revealing Annette’s pale skin littered with small, bleeding scratches and cuts. None of it looked too serious, but Marianne hastened to press her hands against each of them to quickly staunch any bleeding. A dull ache began to grow in her veins, but she pushed through it. She’d use all her stamina if she had to if it meant keeping Annette from sustaining serious injury.

She squeezed her eyes shut. Annette’s skin was clammy and slick with sweat and blood, and absolutely nothing about this was arousing, but it wasn’t lost on her that she was seeing the bare flesh of the girl she liked. She banished the thought from her mind immediately. Gingerly edging around the swell of her breasts, Marianne closed up any wounds on her chest before continuing down toward her belly. She winced again at the nasty puncture where the tree branch still sat embedded. As long as she didn’t pull it out the bleeding would be staved off, but she’d have to get it out eventually. The pain would be worse than the damage, as she could quickly mend the laceration, but Annette would need something to bite down on.

There were only two other gashes on Annette’s stomach, both shallow and looked like they hurt more than they were dangerous. Marianne quickly mended them, pressing her now bloodstained palms against the impossible softness of Annette’s skin, wishing she could be touching her under literally any other circumstances. The branch was stuck in close to her hip, and the wound was beginning to ooze blood. Marianne searched around for a quick moment, grabbing a small, thick branch and scooting up to Annette’s head before looking her in the eyes.

“We’re almost done,” she said as soothingly as she could. She held up the branch. “I need you to bite down on this.” Annette opened her mouth and Marianne set the branch between her teeth. There was fear in Annette’s eyes. It reminded her of an incident, long ago, when she had to tend to Dorte’s wounds after a particularly bloody battle. The horse’s eyes showed that same fear. But Marianne knew how to comfort someone in pain. If nothing else, she knew how to do that. So Marianne continued shushing her and stroking her shoulder, and soon Annette’s eyes closed and she lay back, bracing for the pain.

Marianne reached down to the branch in her gut and gripped it tight, her other hand glowing with healing magic. “I’m going to count you down,” she said, glancing back up at Annette. “Ready? On three.” They both took a deep breath. Marianne tightened her grip. “One,” she whispered, holding her hand over the soon-to-be gaping wound. “Two,” she said, gritting her teeth. She tugged hard, yanking the branch out of the wound and immediately pressing down on it with her other hand, applying healing magic directly to the spot. Annette gasped and bit down, her entire body tensing. Blood seeped out from under her hand, but Marianne kept the pressure on and could feel the skin shifting under her. The wound closed at the surface level, and Marianne kept the healing going for a moment longer.

Her veins pulsed. She was using more stamina than she needed to and she knew it. The amount of healing magic she was producing was inefficient and far more than what was necessary to administer care. But it didn’t matter. She’d empty her entire body of energy. As long as Annette was okay, she didn’t care if she collapsed from exhaustion in exchange.

When she finally pulled away she glanced down at Annette’s legs—there was only one cut along the calf that Marianne quickly took care of, and everything else looked okay. She sat back and breathed a sigh of relief, then leaned over Annette’s face again and took the branch from her mouth.

“All done,” she said, a tender smile playing at her lips though her hands were trembling. “Should only be minimal scarring, as well.”

Annette slowly sat up, wincing, and glanced down at herself. “The… cuts are all gone,” she said, voice shaky. “And it doesn’t hurt anymore, either.” Then she scrunched her face and her hand shot to the back of her head. “Well, my head still hurts, but…”

“Your wounds are all closed,” Marianne said. “There shouldn’t be any more bleeding.” She reached out and squeezed Annette’s shoulder. “When we get back I’ll give you something for your head. Healing magic can’t get rid of headaches, I’m afraid.”

Annette gingerly shook her head. “No, it’s okay,” she said. “You… you saved me, Marianne. I don’t know what would have happened if you weren’t here.”

Marianne felt her stomach lurch. “I-it’s nothing, really,” she said, her voice impossibly high.

“Well, thank you so much,” Annette said, leaning in and wrapping her arms around Marianne. “You’re my hero.”

Marianne felt her entire body flush, the ache in her blood suddenly gone. She slowly put her arms around Annette and held her close. It didn’t occur to her until just that moment that Annette’s shirt was still sliced open and her bare chest was pressed up against her. Marianne’s heart was racing and her thoughts were jumbled, but she held it together long enough, and then Annette pulled away and glanced down at herself before her own face turned scarlet.

“Oh, uh…”

Marianne quickly turned away. “Sorry,” she squeaked. “I had to. The healing arts only work when applied directly to the skin.”

“I-it’s okay,” Annette replied. “I don’t mind, really!”

“Still,” Marianne said, rising to her feet, “let’s hurry and get back.” She glanced down and held out her hand. “Can you stand?”

Annette nodded but took the proffered hand anyway and hauled herself up, pulling her cut shirt together to cover herself. “Guess I’m not cut out to be a dark flier after all, huh?”

Marianne shook her head. “I don’t know,” she said. “You looked better than ever, before… you know.”

Annette fidgeted. “Well, maybe I’ll keep pushing myself,” she said. Then she brightened up. “But only if you agree to stay by my side forever!”

Marianne’s eyes went wide. “Huh?”

“I mean, what if I fall again?” Annette continued, raising her eyebrows. “You have to be there to heal me up!”

Marianne turned away but nodded. “A-all right.”

They walked back to the monastery grounds, together, the Pegasus following close behind, Marianne’s thoughts still up in the clouds.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Find me on Twitter: [OrangeRaven989](https://twitter.com/OrangeRaven989)


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